One of the most underrated features of Chrome is its ability to add multiple profiles within a single browser instance.
For example, you could create one profile for work, another for personal usage, etc. Similarly, if you use a shared work PC, your colleague’s profiles could be added separately.
These profiles will be distinguishable via the profile picture Chrome would pick up from the associated Google account.
Likewise, you could also assign distinct names to each profile and provide them with separate color themes. But these profiles wouldn’t have any interconnection between them.
Each would be different for different profiles, saved passwords, bookmarks, favorites, or site settings. So with such a plethora of benefits attached, why would one want to disable it? Well, it’s because of how Google offers this feature to the end users.
As soon as you launch the browser, you will be greeted with a large profile selection screen. The worst part is that this happens every time you launch the browser, completely disrupting the user experience. Moreover, it’s not that users would always tend to switch over to a different profile whenever they launch Chrome.
And even if the need for the same arises, they could easily use the profile switcher icon situated to the right of the address bar. So join all these dots, and there doesn’t prove to be a concrete reason to keep this functionality enabled.
If you echo these thoughts, you have come to the right place. As a result of this are the detailed instructions to disable the Profiles feature in the Chrome browser.
Disable the Profiles Feature in Chrome
There are two different approaches through which you could carry out this task. The first is a relatively straightforward approach and requires minimal effort to stop displaying the profile selection at startup.
On the other hand, the second method calls for the removal of all the secondary Google accounts.
We have listed these methods below; you may refer to the one that meets your requirements.
Note: It’s impossible to remove the profiles feature since it’s Google Chrome’s core functionality.
Disabling the Show at Startup Option
Disabling the Show at Startup is the quickest and shortest method to disable Chrome’s Profile feature and requires a single click. Once you disable the checkbox, it won’t show the Profile selection window after launching the browser.
Here are the steps to disable the Chrome profile to show at startup:
- Launch the Chrome browser on your PC.
The profile selection window shall appear immediately. - Uncheck the Show at Startup option present at the bottom right.
If this is your first time using Chrome, select the desired profile, and the browser will remember your selection from now on. However, if you have already signed in to the browser before, you could close this dialog box.
Chrome will no longer bring the profile selector screen the next time you launch the browser. Instead, you will automatically log in with the profile you used in your previous browsing session.
Delete Profile Accounts
Removing the Profile account is an extreme measure involving removing all the other Chrome accounts and only keeping your primary account available.
Doing so will delete all the data associated with those accounts, nullifying Chrome’s profiles switcher (as there would be no other account to switch to).
Here are the steps to remove multiple profiles from the Chrome browser:
- Launch the Chrome browser on your PC.
The profile selection window shall appear immediately. - Click on More
on the profile to be removed. - Select the Delete command from the options menu.
- Hit the button in the confirmation dialog box.
Continue to delete the profiles except for your primary ones. Once you have only a profile, the chrome profiles feature at startup will be disabled.
As you would have noticed, while this method does its job, it does come at a hefty cost. Therefore, the first method is a better approach for this task.
Bottom Line: Disable Profiles in Chrome
So this was all from this guide on disabling the profiles feature in the Chrome browser. The ability to add a new profile and switch between multiple ones in Chrome has existed for quite a long time.
However, the browser’s decision to suddenly add a new sizeable pop-up screen at every bootup seems to have irked a few users, and rightly so.
Anyways, with the help of the steps above, you can now bid farewell to this menu that tends to disrupt the browser’s UI/UX.
In this regard, we have shared two methods that will come in handy. Please let us know in the comments section below if you have any queries concerning these two approaches.
How to enable it again once it has been disabled?
If you are no longer getting the Profile Picker on the Chrome Startup then you can enable it from the Manage Profile Settings.
1. Launch the Chrome Browser.
2. Click the profile icon to open the Profiles.
3. Click on the Gear icon and it will display the same Profile picker screen.
4. Now enable the checkbox that says Show on Startup from right bottom.
It will bring back the Chrome Profile window on startup.
I wish there WAS a checkbox to uncheck at start up, but I don’t have one. They must have gotten rid of this feature. Very disappointing.
Can you please share what version of Chrome browser [chrome://version/] you’re currently running on?
the show on startup checkbox – no longer appears Version 95.0.4638.69 (Official Build) (64-bit)
Hi Rod, we just checked on our browser with the same version; it is still available within the Manage Profiles window.
Hi Thank you for the article. I would like to permanently disable feature of creating new profiles in chrome. We use Chrome in school and I monitor students use, I have blocked incognito window, and blocked ability to delete history. But now with new profile feature student can create a new profile, browse some nonsense and delete the profile leaving no traces of their search. Is there solution to this?
Hi Alex, unfortunately, we cannot disable the profiles feature. It is built-in with Chrome and does not have the option to stop or hide permanently.
hi there,
when I created a google chrome profile I didn’t know it would wipe all my bookmarks and saved windows on the tool bar. I’ve turned on sync but still nothing. Is there anyway to go back to the old google chrome without the profiles?? Please help!!
Hi Clare, you can downgrade the chrome browser to a version prior to the Profiles feature, however, it’s not recommended to do so. Can you check if there are any other profiles that have your bookmarks saved?
This is SO FRUSTRATING! I cannot find my bookmarks and it deleted my extensions. Who thought of this? I’m deleting Chrome and heading back to Safari. Geez!
Really nicely written and engaging, like you understood my frustration! And the solution was there all along….
I need to disable the option for google chrome profiles, including guest mode, because it allows for incognito mode. How do I delete chrome profiles on the new windows version? An I so this through the reg editor? Please advise asap! Thank you
Can I do this through the reg editor?
“Incognito” mode is accessed on the desktop version in guest mode – and -when a profile is deleted. I have guys in my office accessing incognito mode on my company computers by creating a new profile in chrome then deleting it thereafter during working hours. I need this removed or I will switch to a new browser. Thank you for your help.
Hi Brooke, unfortunately, we cannot disable the profile management feature in chrome. There was an option in Chrome Flags, but it was experimental and has been removed now. We can only hide the profile picker screen as mentioned in the article.
Sorry for not being much help here.
If you’re as tired of this broken feature as myself and thousands of others are, just switch to the Brave browser. The switch took me less than five minutes and I never have to deal with a Google Chrome profile ever again. Wow I feel so good.
i hate these profiles – i wish i could switch between the two emails like i used to – i hate that it’s all seperate – i don’t want it seperate – i also find the passwords being separate to be insanely inconvienent – why doesn’t it autofill my passwords from one of my emails anymore? they’re just stuck in password saver but under my other email – i used to login to shit no problem not anymore – thanks google – i hate this – and i could have all my emails together as in one inbox and sometimes i’d click back and fourth in one email window now i have two seperte windows with seperate tabs – wtf – this makes me never want to use google again — and that sucks cause i love google – even though they take a ton of information they don’t need – i compromise my values for you google but this? nah, i cant do profiles – too much, too soon, and wayyy too far!
The Disable Show at startup button is not there.
Anyway how do we disable this if the button for guest and “do not show at startup” is not available?
I am an IT guy and I have to bitch about it on your forum because it is not straight forward by any means.
This is OOBE, and my OOBE experience with chrome is abysmal.
Had to tell my client to use another browser that she’s not used to.
Thanks gogl.
Hello Martjin, I’ve checked in the latest version of Google Chrome, and the checkbox for Show at Startup is still available. I’m not sure why this is happening to you. By any chance, do you guys use the Chrome Enterprise version? Because we are not well versed with Enterprise.
The large organization does use the system policy configuration (using Registry Edits) to limit the access to guest mode and sort of problems you are facing. Maybe you should check internally if that’s something in your org.
Even if the box “show at start-up” is checked, the pop-up never shows, but I want it to show